Once Upon a Ski Trip
by lunarchroniclesandcockatiels
Summary: Ski AU, in which Annabeth meets Percy through a ski accident. Onsehot.


**A/N: Hello! Here is some ski info:**

 **Green- easiest trail**

 **Blue- medium/ more difficult**

 **Black Diamond- difficult (quite steep)**

 **Double Black Diamond- very difficult (very steep, almost like a straight line down, but slightly slanted)**

Annabeth Chase sits on the chairlift, her ski poles dangling to one side. She breathes slowly, her breath coming out in short puffs of white.

Next to her, Piper is trying to start a conversation with her about something. She doesn't pay attention, instead wondering how there can possibly be _so much snow_ in the world.

Of course she's seen snow before, but never this much. The mountains are full of it, and even more is starting to fall to the ground. She holds out her tongue, catching a delicate snowflake in her mouth. It is dissolved in precisely 0.456394705 seconds. Not that she counted or anything.

In the chairlift behind them, Calypso and Hazel are talking about flowers or something equally uninteresting. Annabeth Chase likes flowers, but she doesn't really care about the four- hundred thousand different kinds of flowers in the world.

She sighs, wishing the chairlift would go just a little bit faster.

"So," Piper says. "How's your boyfriend?"

This question catches Annabeth's mind, but she pretends not to hear, only for Piper to repeat herself.

"He's not my boyfriend." Annabeth mutters. "He's just my friend."

"Yeah." says Piper indignantly. "The friend you've known since preschool. Look into my eyes, Annabeth, and tell my don't think Luke is at least a little bit cute."

"Fine." Annabeth says, rolling her eyes. "If that's what it takes."

Looking into Piper's eyes, she repeats, "Luke is not my boyfriend."

The rest of the ride is quieter after that.

Finally, they reach the top of the hill, and Piper pulls the bar over their heads.

The landing is smooth, like always, Annabeth notes, and she finds herself wishing she could skii all day.

Soon, Hazel and Calypso join them, and they start discussing which trail to take.

"We should go on Everest Glade." Annabeth decides. "I hear it's really pretty this time of year."

"Nah," says Hazel. "Besides, isn't that a black diamond?"

Annabeth groans internally. She loves her friends, but sometimes they can be a little over cautious, especially Hazel, who has skied since she was three years old, and still refuses to go on anything past an easy blue.

Sometimes Hazel can be annoying, but Annabeth has and always will be her friend just the same.

Calypso, Piper, and Hazel decide to take Forest Run, which is the second easiest trail at River Mountain. Annabeth sighs.

"Hey Annabeth," says Hazel. "I have an idea! You can go down Everest Glade, and we'll go down Holiday Run, and meet you at the lodge. Okay?"

"Are you sure?" says Annabeth. "I mean, I don't want to just leave you guys."

"Oh, we'll be fine." says Hazel, smiling. "Come on Annabeth. I know you want to go."

Annabeth reluctantly agrees, and the rest of her group skis off, leaving her to go down the trail by herself.

Pulling a map from her pocket, she finds the trail that leads to it and starts down.

—

When the first trail ends, she finds herself at a crossroad with two trails, Everest Glade, and Cliff Run, a double black diamond. There is a closed sign in front of Everest Glade.

Nervous flutters start in her stomach. In all her eighteen years of life, Annabeth has never once even considered going down a double black diamond. Growing up, she heard horror stories about people who went on them and never came back down.

Annabeth supposed she could go down Everest Glade, but she didn't want to break her leg from the bare patches or the ice. Instead, she tightened her ski pole straps, and started down Cliff Run.

At first, it was the easy black diamond Annabeth had accustomed herself to. Then suddenly, in the middle of the trail, the mountain grew much steeper. So much steeper, in fact, that Annabeth couldn't go two feet without turning.

 _Long turns_ , she reminds herself. _Lean forward, and long turns_.

The descent is slow at first, but she gradually picks up speed.

Before she realizes it, she is skiing down a double black diamond. Her thoughts drift away from the ski hill, and to the stories she'll be able to tell when she reaches the lodge.

Suddenly, Annabeth Chase is going faster than she anticipated, and she realizes she can't stop or slow down.

She makes an effort to turn, but finds herself stumbling instead. Falling, falling, falling, until the world turns black.

—-

Annabeth wakes up on the ground, next to a tree. She shivers, the cold seeping effortlessly through her bones. The wind is colder than she remembers.

She tries to move her feet, to get back up, but a sharp pain shoots through her leg.

Her forehead feels especially cold, and she wipes her hand across it, just to find herself staring at a hand covered in blood.

She reaches in her pocket, and pulls out her cell phone.

The screen is cracked and damaged, but she tries the on button anyways, praying it will work.

It doesn't.

Annabeth starts to panic. This is her worst nightmare come true. Stuck in the middle of a double black diamond ski trail where the average number of skiers on it a day is three.

The odds do not seem to be in her favor.

Annabeth rips off a piece of her shirt, holding it on her forehead in an effort to staunch the bleeding.

Looking at her watch, she realizes with alarm that it is almost nightfall, and after nightfall, Cliff Run is closed.

No one will come for her then. Annabeth realizes. She needs to get down, now, when she can actually see.

But her leg….

Suddenly, Annabeth becomes tired, oh so tired, and the only thing on her mind is falling asleep.

She puts her head down, and does just that.

—

Percy Jackson heads down the top of Cliff Run, with Jason and Frank. It was originally meant to be just a dare from Leo, but they took it seriously. Leo had chickened out at the last minute, and had gone down Holiday Run instead. He was missing all the fun.

Suddenly, at the middle of the trail, Percy spotted a girl lying off to the side, almost in the woods.

"Hey guys," he calls, pointing to the girl. "Look over there."

Jason and Frank stop their path down the mountain, and head over to where Percy is pointing.

The girl is lying head first in the snow, her leg twisted at an odd angle. She looks perfectly at ease, except for the large gash on her forehead. Her eyes are shut closed as if she is sleeping, which worries Percy, because he vaguely remembers something about not falling asleep if you hurt your head.

Frank looks nervously at all of them. "Um, guys?" he asks. "What do we do?"

"Did anyone bring a phone?" Jason asks. They all shake their heads.

"Okay," says Frank. "I have an idea. I'll go down and get the ski patrol, and in the meantime, you two can try to bring her down. Okay?"

They all nod, and Frank heads down, leaving them with the girl.

"So," says Jason awkwardly. "What do we do?"

"We could take off our skis," Percy says. "And make some kind of sled with our scarves."

"Is she alive?" Jason asks nervously. Percy rolls his eyes.

"No, Jason," he says sarcastically. "She's not alive because dead people definitely breath."

"Just checking." says Jason.

Percy and Jason take off their skis and scarves, and for once, Percy is glad that he took his Mom's advice and wore a scarf. Even if it is really long and kind off girly.

Percy gently takes off the girl's skis, and they lay them all together, in one straight line. Jason takes the scarves and weaves them between the skis, and before they know it, a sort of sled is made.

Percy shakes the girl lightly, trying to wake her up, and her eyelids flutter lightly.

"I'm so cold." she whispers. "And tired. Very cold."

"We're here to rescue you." he tells her. "So don't fall asleep just yet, okay?"

The girl nods slightly, and they carefully place her on the sled. Percy takes off his undershirt, and wraps it around the girl's head. In a matter of seconds, blood is already soaking through.

Jason and Percy slowly slide the girl down on the sled, stopping every few minutes to catch their breath. They ask the girl every random question they can think of, in order to keep her from falling asleep again.

Even as they slide, the air is growing colder, and the sky is darkening. Percy can already see a few stars come into view.

Almost two hours later, Percy is starting to wonder where in the world is the ski patrol? Did Frank tell them the right trail?

Half an hour after that, they make it to the bottom of the trail, and ski patrol is waiting for them. They pick up the girl and bring her into their miniature hospital.

Frank and Leo come running over, with a gaggle of girls at their heels.

"Is Annabeth okay?" one of the girls asks worriedly. "Please tell me she's okay."

"Annabeth?" Percy says awkwardly. "Who in the world is this Annabeth?"

"You know," says Frank, patting the girl who was asking about Annabeth on the shoulder. "The girl you carried halfway down the hill."

" _Oh_." Percy says. "That girl. Well, she hurt her leg, and she has this giant cut on her forehead that-"

Jason clasps a hand over Percy's mouth.

"Annabeth is fine." he says. "Just a little shaken up."

But that night, as Percy is falling asleep, he can't seem to get Annabeth and how hurt she really was out of his head.

 **A/N: Thanks for reading, and please review! Thank you!**


End file.
